Set-top box devices and other media content access devices are often configured to provide users with access to a large number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may choose to experience a variety of broadcast television programs, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, Internet services, and audio programming via a set-top box device.
Certain media content access devices include a digital video recording (“DVR”) application. In general, media content access devices with DVR applications allow a user to record and then view or otherwise experience recorded media content. For example, a set-top box device may record a particular television program and then allow a user to play back a presentation of the television program in a time-shifted manner. However, media content access devices have a limited amount of storage for media content recordings. In addition, conventional media content access devices have a limited capability of preventing duplicative recording of media content programs. As a result, conventional media content access devices may unnecessarily and/or undesirably occupy their limited storage with media content recordings that are duplicative of recordings a user has already experienced.